Powell: US will pull troops out this year

[sabra]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1692158,00.html

Powell: US will pull troops out this year
Former Bush aide who urged caution over Iraq signals start of withdrawal by end of 2006


Colin Powell, who warned President Bush on the eve of the Iraq war that US forces would have to stay for the long haul after toppling Saddam, yesterday predicted that troop withdrawals would begin by the end of this year.

He spoke as final results of the elections for a new Iraqi government left the Shia Muslim alliance 10 seats short of an outright parliamentary majority - boosting US and British hopes of a coalition including Sunni and Kurdish groups. Britain's ambassador to Iraq, William Patey, said after the results were announced that an 'inclusive government of national unity' would help chances of a 'significant' withdrawal of the UK's 8,000 troops.

Powell, the former Secretary of State, told The Observer that, while the 'characteristics of the new government' would be clearer in the weeks ahead, the US role was to 'make sure the process unfolds successfully'.

During his policy battles with Donald Rumsfeld's Pentagon hawks in the run-up to the Iraq war, Powell at one point reportedly cautioned Bush: 'If you break it, you own it.' Since stepping down as the administration's senior diplomat after the 2004 presidential election, he has reiterated his view that America must not cut and run.

[Tab]

1. Before elections, I bet.

Assholes.

[woodsprite]

3. Probably. But you can bet right after, they're off to Iran or Syria. n/t

[acmavm]

7. So what if they pull out before the elections? What a beautiful picture

dems could paint. All the wasted lives, all the money spent, and for what? NOT ONE DAMN THING. This was/is a war brought to this country be a republican administration, built upon lies.

The poor country of Iraq is a much bigger mess than it was before Shock and Awe.

[mom cat]

9. As soon as the elections are over, the troops will go right back in.

The US is not going to give up their bases and the new billion dollar embacy they want to build. They just know that we are tired of this war and they think they can dangle a little hope and lull us back to sleep.

[struggle4progress]

20. More likely: news about upcoming withdrawals before, and status quo after

[Charlie Brown]

2. Last I heard, Powell is now a civilian

What kind of weight do his "predictions" carry now?

[bemildred]

10. You have to wonder who is paying Colon to keep spouting this crap. nt

[amitten]

4. Iran, here they come.

A war without end, and we're all footing the bill.

[stevedeshazer]

5. So Powell agrees with Murtha!

I wish Powell would stop pussyfooting around and be direct.

[gratuitous]

18. It certainly appears that he does

I wonder when the Secretary of State Veterans for Truth will begin the smear campaign on Powell, questioning whether he really was a general, or served in the military at all.

[Saturday]

6. Of course they will,

it's been their plan all along. All of a sudden victory will be declared and they will tell us that things are going so well in Iraq and so many Iraqis have been trained blah blah blah. And guess what...... it will be before the Nov. elections.

[DanCa]

8. Sure they need em for iran. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

[WePurrsevere]

11. Sadly that was my first thought as well. Hopefully the American voters

won't buy this mind games and BS again, will kick the Repub out of power and the Dems back in so we can have a chance of bringing back justice, civil liberties and peace to our country.

[mike_c]

12. Powell speaks the truth!

Oh-- wait a minute....

[LynnTheDem]

13. Powell told the truth about Mai Lai...and them incubator babies...

...and them Iraqi troops massed on Saudi's border...

He sure does lie a helluva lot, don't he.

[oblivious]

14. What a misleading headline: He didn't say they'd pull out.

What he really said:

...predicted that troop withdrawals would begin by the end of this year.

..'I think we'll probably see some drawdown in numbers in 2006.

...I hope we'll see a reduction in forces

So, maybe a reduction from 160,000 to 150,000 troops? That isn't a pullout.

[Lorien]

21. That was my first thought as well. I wouldn't be surprised if the troops

will be replaced with overpriced mercenaries, either.

[occuserpens]

15. lalalalala...

[OneBlueSky]

16. every 10 troops withdrawn = 1 more bombing run . . . n/t

.

[thebigidea]

17. they kicked him out on his ass, he still does their bidding

what a pathetic ass - he was whimpering about how he would serve another term if asked, and apparently doesn't mind still serving them.

Colin Powell: discarded condom.

[d_b]

19. It would work too.

Thugs pull them out, American people too dumb to realise that the president just played politics with their lives, pukes keep control of government.

You know its true. And its what will probably happen.